Chapter 30
When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to find myself at a temple.
The same one I had wandered into a few months ago.
My aura was still unpredictable, but if it was going to take me anywhere, I’d expected it to be home or maybe even the lab.
To be taken away from the chambers and straight to a temple was almost laughable.
It thought that I’d find safety and solace here.
The space was empty, and I wondered if they had locked their doors for the night. Or if it was just a case of people seeking the Gods less. That was the original question that had brought me into this mess. E.L.I. was meant to help build an understanding that helped solidify faith again.
My footsteps echoed as I travelled down the aisle towards the front of the room.
I noticed a young man sitting there peacefully in prayer, but when he clocked me, a look of shock came over his face.
He scrambled to his feet, bowing low before leaving the room.
Good to see that the live streams had left a lasting impression on people’s minds.
That had been the point, but I realised that life would be more difficult now.
It was hard to regret the decision, though. I’d have done anything to stop Hunter.
“Don’t you find it strange that you didn’t believe in us and yet you seem to always end up in a temple?” Larkin’s voice was light, but it still made me flinch. “Quentin, we should talk.”
“You told me to trust you,” I said, refusing to turn around.
Instead, I kneeled on the floor as exhaustion flooded my bones.
“You tried to humiliate me in front of all the heavens. Larkin, I am sorry if you feel like I crossed you or did you wrong. I’ve only ever wanted to help you.
And I thought you would appreciate that I did what I did in order to survive. ”
“I didn’t humiliate you.” She settled herself beside me. “Stop being such a drama queen.”
“Didn’t you?”
“Did I?”
“Larkin, I’m still learning how to be a Goddess. I cannot control my aura properly yet. I’ve caused more trouble than I probably should have. I’ve made friends and I’ve made enemies. We’ve just gone through a war and I almost lost Gray.”
“No one’s asking you to be perfect. That is an expectation you have of yourself.” She stretched her legs out in front of her and flexed her feet. “We need someone with a fresh perspective. You have that. You’ve been a chameleon for the last few months. How you got so many minor Gods on your side—”
“Until they thought I was some power-hungry woman that was willing to leave Gray for dead and move up in the world.”
“We are fickle beings,” she mused. “But they’ve had the rose-tinted glasses removed now.”
I sighed and stared at the wall ahead of us. “It was brave of you to show them everything.”
Larkin nodded slowly. “I knew there would come a time when I needed to. And it would have been unfair to Archer to let him take the fall for it all.”
“I was worried he was about to give up his life.”
“We assumed that wouldn’t sentence him to death because of the damage the oleander had done again. It was a risk.”
Considering how selfish the Gods had shown themselves to be, I was grateful that Archer and Larkin had spoken to each other about how to move forward. I was also deeply grateful that Larkin didn’t allow Archer to take the fall.
“Why didn’t you put yourself forward to lead?” I asked her. “You know Elysia and the others. You’ve seen what it’s like.”
“And for all intents and purposes, I’m a murderer. They might understand why I did what I did, they might even agree with it, but they aren’t about to put me in the sacred spot. They wouldn’t trust me enough.”
I shook my head. “Why did you do this? This is what you meant when you said to trust you. You already had this planned.”
“I did,” she admitted. “Although, if I’m honest with you, I wasn’t sure it would work out. There were so many things that could have gone wrong.”
“So, why?”
The silence stretched out between us and I assumed Larkin wasn’t going to answer my question, but then she spoke. “I think we’ve previously discussed how we are not that different, Quentin.”
“Yes.”
“It is ambition that drives us. My ambition is to see a change up there. And yours…” She trailed off, looking at me.
“Is to go down in history for something founded in the lab.”
“That’s not really an option for you anymore. This is the chance for you to still go down in history.”
“You should have spoken to me about it first.”
“I couldn’t. If you knew, your reaction wouldn’t be genuine and Gray would have figured something out. The whole of Elysia saw the surprise on your face when I nominated you. They don’t think this is a calculated act.”
I chewed on my bottom lip.
“I think it’s time for us to take back some control,” Larkin continued. “Kieran held power, then Hunter, and now it was meant to be Gray. A succession of men dictating what’s best for us all. I grew sick of it. And…”
“And?”
Larkin reached across and took my hand. “And I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When I married Hunter, I believed he would treat me as an equal. Clearly that wasn’t the case, and I struggled to find my voice and to find a way out. After all, he ruled Elysia, and I was his wife. People had already made plenty of assumptions about me.”
“Gray isn’t—”
“I don’t know about the inner workings of your relationship, and I don’t wish to know. All I know is that people can change. You’re about to leave your job, your home, and your family for Gray.”
“It’s not only for him,” I mumbled, not willing to admit that Gray had agreed to live here with me.
Not that it mattered anymore. I realised that James’s live stream meant I could no longer go unnoticed and work on Earth.
“I’m a demigoddess. Everyone seems to think it’s best for me to be there.
And… well, I kind of went viral for being a God. ”
Larkin raised an eyebrow. “That was how you amplified your gift. You told them all, and they prayed for you?”
“Yeah.”
“Clever.”
“I can’t take all the credit for that. James helped.”
“We have a lot to thank him for then.” She sniffed.
“My point is, Quentin, that I want you to be safe. I want you to have the power and control in your life while you are with us because it is really easy to lose sight of it without even realising.” Larkin squeezed my hand, and I felt a warmth rush to my eyes.
“I won’t apologise for looking out for someone who saved my life. ”
“You are very unapologetic these days.”
She laughed and nodded. “Yes, I am.” The laughter soon gave way to quiet tears.
“You don’t have to accept the position. There is no obligation for you to do this.
But I’m tired, Quentin. I am exhausted, and I feel responsible for some of the things Hunter did and the division he caused.
This is partially my way of putting it right. ”
“You weren’t responsible for any of those things,” I told her, squeezing her hand.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t feel like I did anything to stop him. I could have done more. I wish I had.”
“You were surviving, Larkin. I don’t think there’s a single person who blames you for the way he ran Elysia.”
“Whether or not they do, I would still like to do something that might help now. It’s not too late.”
“I understand.”
“A temple, golden girl?” Gray’s voice was smooth and deep as it projected from the back of the room. “What an interesting choice.”
“I’ll leave you both to it,” Larkin said. “I’ll head back to Elysia and make sure everything is kept calm.” She untangled her hand from mine and rose to her feet. “Good luck.”
“Thank you, Larkin.”
It wasn’t just a thank you for her well wishes. It was a thank you for the way she treated me. For trusting in me.
As Larkin disappeared, Gray’s footsteps drew near. He held a hand down to me. “You don’t kneel for anyone.”
I took his hand and got to my feet. “Sorry for disappearing. I was caught by surprise and panicked a little bit.”
“Mm,” he hummed, taking me in. “I assumed that was what happened. Would you like to go home?”
“No. I’d like to stay here, actually.”
Gray quirked an eyebrow, but I didn’t explain and he didn’t push.
I’d landed in the temple rather than my usual safe havens.
Not my family home, not Cassidy’s, and not the lab.
For my entire life, I’d refused to believe in the Gods and saw no use in turning up to the temple.
Especially after I’d lost my parents. I stopped attending the moment I could.
But here I was, with the biggest decision of my life, standing within the walls of what I rejected.
There was some irony in there that I was too tired to explore, but I didn’t want to leave yet.
Not when it felt like I was on the cusp of understanding something that would put me at ease.
“Can we sit down?” I asked, nodding over to some chairs.
“Of course.”
Gray placed an arm around me as we walked over and sat down together.
“Would you like to tell me what’s running through your pretty little head?” he asked me. When I opened my mouth, Gray cut me off. “No more lies. No more secrets.”
I closed my mouth, weighing what he’d just said. There was no point in telling him I was fine or that I wasn’t thinking about anything.
“This is not what I expected,” I told him.
“None of this is what you expected. If I’m honest, I think even the Gods would say that they’ve been caught off guard.”
“What’s the etiquette for this? Can I just go back and tell them I don’t want this?”
Gray stretched his long legs out in front of him and fixed his gaze on me. It was strange to see one of his brilliant blue eyes was now a deep brown. Still my Gray, but a little different. Bearing his own battle scars.
“Is that really what you want?” he asked, curiosity colouring his tone. “To tell them you don’t want the position.”